I honestly can't decide. Input much wanted. Keep or sell

[Greyyork]

So, I absolutely love my RS6 and I take really good care of it, but things keep breaking on it (mostly not my fault). Although I will get a payout for the transportation company doing launches in my car, I'm really tired of it being in the shop so often. I don't mind paying the extra money in maintenance, which I took into consideration when buying. This car is without a doubt a future classic (1 year left...at least in Texas). It's a collectors item. 800 were made and what, 400-500 originals still left? Should I fix the tranny and sell, or keep it?

[Aronis]

Keep it....

It's an addiction.

Feed it.

[Greyyork]

Well thats enough convincing for me!

jk more input wanted lol. Thank you for your opinion though.

[Aronis]

Here's my opinion.....if you have another car (newer, more reliable) and can afford to keep the RS6 running and enjoy driving it on occasion, then what the hell.

Certainly there are plenty of other newer cars (even in the Audi line) which are faster, quicker, loaded with new tech,etc, with the added benefit of a warrantee.

My A8L is faster and quicker than the RS6, but not as much fun to drive, mainly due to huge difference in handling. Perhaps if I had splurged on an S8 I would have traded the RS6 on that, but they only offered me $5000 in trade, ended up too pricey.

My RS6 is beginning to give me trouble but I hope to get it all sorted out this week.

Why do I keep mine? It's paid for. It's fun to drive. I already own Snow Tires on Wheels so it's my default Really Bad Weather Car. The A8L with the all seasons is ok in the snow, but when it get really bad the RS with proper snow tires is far better. As long as the thing runs and does not begin to cost me a fortune, I'll keep it. It's not something I would want to sell in a private sale and get screwed on some dumb private sale hidden clause lemon law BS.

The next question for me is whether or not to buy out my A8L at the lease end. My buy out is 45 K and from what I can tell the fair trade in value is about 57k. So its a hell of a deal at 45K.

Mike

[lswing]

So, I absolutely love my RS6 and I take really good care of it, but things keep breaking on it (mostly not my fault). Although I will get a payout for the transportation company doing launches in my car, I'm really tired of it being in the shop so often. I don't mind paying the extra money in maintenance, which I took into consideration when buying. This car is without a doubt a future classic (1 year left...at least in Texas). It's a collectors item. 800 were made and what, 400-500 originals still left? Should I fix the tranny and sell, or keep it?

Unless you can find a good/great mechanic then you might want to cut your losses. The guys at Brink in Austin are solid, but still at $100 an hour it adds up. This car is not built at all for the Texas heat either. Now, if you're moving anywhere up North, I'd say keep it you will be able to enjoy it a lot more. You've had a string of bad luck, but as you said it's a very unique car, and does take some unique care. I've got a truck as my standard driver, and the RS6 is just for fun these days.

[Cmnair]

As lswing said if you have access to a good independent tech hold on to it. It is a unique car and I think it is the best representation of the already great C5 design. It is unique in its own subtle way and much better resolved than today's new car design language with the gaping front grills.

A biker actually gave me a thumbs up and asked if this was a special edition Euro only model. You might regret it once you let it go. I regretted selling my 6 speed Stage 3 A6 2.7T (complete sleeper) but I more than made up for it with the RS6 which is so much more car.

[CBeau]

These are getting to age where any piece of plastic, any piece of rubber is past, at or near the end of its life. And that includes any trim pieces, or innard o-ring seales etc. that's why they are so cheap. unless youre someone who as a kid read a Road & Track article on the car or smthing and said "I gotta have one of those someday" (I'm more than half guilty of being in that camp LOL) nobody wants these cars. They are old!! But I still think rare and coveted enough to remain collectible and SOME people will keep them up and do what it takes to do so properly. But I would bet prime-to very good examples of C5 RS6s will halve or more within the next 4-5 years. Bc if you don't care enuf youre going to just let it go, and it won't be worth much so even more reason to not invest in its upkeep if it doesn't tug on your heartstrings. Take it from someone = me.... who is really good at acquiring cars and really bad at parting with them, unlike Porsches (at least very very new ones) these cars (C5 RS6s) are definitely not user friendly when it comes to disassembly / assembly. I love mine and I will do what it takes to keep it in tact and wholly functional. But I'm an idiot... or at best a low end "collector" lol. My opinion, and I do deal in higher end pre-owned cars quite a bit, unless you're totally in love with it and plan to hold on to it for another 10 years or so, if you want your max $$ back out of it sell it now. And if you do want to keep it prepare yourself that it is approaching age of needing a full rebuild of any and all things rubber or plastic, at a minimum, which is a lot of parts and a lot of $$.

[ttboost]

I had this same debate way back when...many times...I thought the manual conversion would change my mind and make me keep it, but alas...decided to let it go. While I miss the quality of the Euro cars, I am in lust with my CTS-V, which is no where near the quality level of the 6 year older car, but it does have more technology and more power and WAYYY easier to mod. My V will be at the 650-675whp level in about a week or so, for less than $6k, and be dead nuts reliable. My RS6 would NEVER have seen 675whp...and if it did, it would probably cost double and I would trust it to drive down the street. Short answer is only you know how much you've spent...and how much you want to continue to spend to keep it on the road. Good Luck with your decision...

[Aronis]

I had this same debate way back when...many times...I thought the manual conversion would change my mind and make me keep it, but alas...decided to let it go. While I miss the quality of the Euro cars, I am in lust with my CTS-V, which is no where near the quality level of the 6 year older car, but it does have more technology and more power and WAYYY easier to mod. My V will be at the 650-675whp level in about a week or so, for less than $6k, and be dead nuts reliable. My RS6 would NEVER have seen 675whp...and if it did, it would probably cost double and I would trust it to drive down the street. Short answer is only you know how much you've spent...and how much you want to continue to spend to keep it on the road. Good Luck with your decision...

Sounds like a blast! To bad the CTS-V is butt ugly...Jk.....or am I? :)

[Cmnair]

I had this same debate way back when...many times...I thought the manual conversion would change my mind and make me keep it, but alas...decided to let it go. While I miss the quality of the Euro cars, I am in lust with my CTS-V, which is no where near the quality level of the 6 year older car, but it does have more technology and more power and WAYYY easier to mod. My V will be at the 650-675whp level in about a week or so, for less than $6k, and be dead nuts reliable. My RS6 would NEVER have seen 675whp...and if it did, it would probably cost double and I would trust it to drive down the street. Short answer is only you know how much you've spent...and how much you want to continue to spend to keep it on the road. Good Luck with your decision...

CAI, Upper and lower pulleys, injectors, intake, exhaust, headers? Are you doing a HX as well? Who is doing the tune? Sorry for the hijack.

[RSoverAll]

Tough decision obviously.

There are many nicer, newer Audis and other cars out there right now but I don't think most are as near as unique and as raw as this car. I mostly picked up this car because not many can be found in my area and I wanted something a bit different but still in the Audi/VW genepool. Maybe sell it to a close friend so you can get it back if you ever really wanted to lol. As already stated this car is certainly an addition, once the fire burns out and it no longer gets you going like it once did- maybe it's time to let it go... or maybe make some changes to the car to keep the passion in it. I think you should keep it. Maybe a 6 speed swap instead of the auto box repair?

[ttboost]

CAI, lower pulley, injectors, intake, exhaust, headers, cam. No HX, but probably a Varimax pump. JRE tuned.

Fixed...

[tightgroup]

She is a mistress this RS6, now more demanding than ever, but she delivers not just in speed but in sheer driving experience. I bought mine 2 weeks ago and have but over 2k on her already. True at their age they need more attention, but there is nothing else out there to compare to this car including the newer RS Audis.. In stock form 11 years after she is still supreme in her class, also true some newer models maybe faster, but none will wiggle your nuts like the Beast..

[papadoc]

As someone who picked up a second RS6 while my original one awaits resurrection in Arizona, and who knew the car from 10 years of ownership from new, the cost of ownership for what we have made perfect sense to me. Yes, service is expensive, but once major items (transmission, DRC) are out of the way, it is only the timing belt and random parts that cost you. These are not cheap, but price a comparable car re: 4 wheel drive, power, fun to drive and rarity, and your outlay is going to be way more than what you'd spend to keep your car running smoothly. If you don't have a good shop to work on the car, factor that in. Run the numbers for selling now- you can't by a Corolla for the money you will get- and buying the replacement car, and compare to keeping the car for another 5 years and adding in costs for repairs and maintenance over that time with a sale at the end for half of current price. When you run the numbers on the car you think will put a grin on your face like the RS6 as I did, you might just pick up a daily driver and keep the beast.

[mik15]

i'd buy again an RS6 C5 but not as a daily drive, after 2 of them i can definitely say that at this age you can't rely on it for a daily use especially in a hot climate, if you want to keep it as a garage queen and take it out for a spin in the weekends than do so, you won't regret the decision, but if you intend using it as a single car then sell it and get a better compromise car, the C5 RS6 just won't do it on the long run.

[4.2Crew]

These are getting to age where any piece of plastic, any piece of rubber is past, at or near the end of its life. And that includes any trim pieces, or innard o-ring seales etc. ....if you do want to keep it prepare yourself that it is approaching age of needing a full rebuild of any and all things rubber or plastic, at a minimum, which is a lot of parts and a lot of $$.

Agree.



Now, if you're moving anywhere up North, I'd say keep it you will be able to enjoy it a lot more.

As a MN owner, I'd respectfully disagree.... Although the Sunbelt area has it's heat-related challenges for this car, so does the cold weather. The extreme cold (-25F to 0F) here in MN is absolutely brutal on this 13 year old big twin turbo car due to large gradient heat cycling on cold start-ups. As stated in the above post, the critical "soft" materials are aging-----and, in my experience, result in more and more leaks and discerning noises every Winter.

[Bigglezworth]

Although I will get a payout for the transportation company doing launches in my car All I can visualize after hearing your story is this....

https://youtu.be/_S7AyiVfNdA

[tightgroup]

why not ?? If the car is maintained and in good working order she is a reliable car. She might need more attention, and while there are more practical cars for daily driver, an RS6 is very much fun to drive..

[Turbowned]

When I bought my RS6 I was planning to daily drive my Subaru BRZ and keep the RS for weekends. The power, improved ride comfort, stereo, and added practicality of a sedan made me drive the RS6 twice as much as the BRZ. It's hard not to want to drive it all the time! (My friend who also owns a BRZ just bought a B7 RS4 and I told him that he'll end up doing the same thing!) This causes a problem because I was hoping to put less than 10k/yr on it and break up the pricier service intervals. Also, it got half the fuel mileage and double the consumable cost of the BRZ which is not fun.

There's nothing else out there under $25k, new or used, that drives or feels like an RS6, let me tell you! I've tried them all. If you own yours outright, see what you can't get for a decent daily driver and keep the RS6 for weekends. You'll be glad you did!

[Dmb408]

I can say now that is much easier as a true third car. My 2nd RS6 has always been a third car. The first RS6 was only an extra car at times. I just wish it didn't take 10K to fix everything all at once (i.e. valve covers, suspension components, timing belt, intercoolers, etc.) because as a car guy I know nothing is completely broken but there are tons of things that I wish I could do right now (if I could get away with it with the other adult in the house). I am doing suspension work this week but I know after I do that I'll immediately want to fix the intercoolers. If I chilled a little more, it'd be better. So that's my advise - chill out, drive it, never get worried unless something really blows up.

[Turbowned]

Mine is becoming my primary car by default considering I just traded my BRZ in for a 911. She's been fine as a daily so far, but I don't know if I can justify having two aging German near-supercars in the stable. If I owned the cars outright I'd feel differently but I'm still paying them off (albeit at a comically low interest rate!). Wish I had room in the driveway for a daily hooptie like a Mini Cooper or something...

[vitalian]

I went through a full-on existential crisis at the end of my aftermarket warranty a couple of years ago. Keep or sell? I literally lost sleep over it. I shopped around for cars that I thought I might enjoy at least close to as much as I enjoy my RS6 (including another RS6 with fewer miles on it). I went to a couple of dealerships and an auto broker and took some test drives. I used up pages of yellow pads doing cost/benefit analyses. And in the end, I finally concluded that for the money I would spend on something else I would really enjoy driving, I might as well keep the beastie and save up my pennies for the inevitable transmission/torque converter rebuild (so far so good -- almost 100K and counting). No regrets here -- still lovin' it!

[Other_Erik]

Wish I had ... a Mini Cooper

That's it, hand in the man card, princess. :lovl:

[vitalian]

That's it, hand in the man card, princess. :lovl:

Don't scoff until you've driven one. A MINI Cooper S can defy the laws of physics going around corners at speeds the RS6 could only dream about. It is one of the most fun cars to drive that I have ever driven, and BY FAR the most fun for the price. The only reason I don't currently own one is that the rock-hard suspension and unforgiving sport seats are simply too hard on my bad back.

And, BTW, not all of us need a "man card" to be a badass.:)

[Other_Erik]

Don't scoff until you've driven one. A MINI Cooper S can defy the laws of physics going around corners at speeds the RS6 could only dream about. It is one of the most fun cars to drive that I have ever driven, and BY FAR the most fun for the price. The only reason I don't currently own one is that the rock-hard suspension and unforgiving sport seats are simply too hard on my bad back.

And, BTW, not all of us need a "man card" to be a badass.:)


If it's hard cornering you want and better suspension and seats you crave, how about a nice used 914? Ride like you're on rails and at least still within the VAG family (vaguely). Also roughly half the cost of a newish used Mini Cooper S.

I've driven a Cooper S, belonged to a coworker in Houston, and all I could think about was how my legs were cramping (to be fair, I'm almost 6' tall, and I did have someone in the seat behind me, so had to stay scooted forward more than I normally would), and wondering why I needed to hold the gas almost to the floor to keep up with highway traffic in top gear. Agreed that it's fun to throw around the cloverleaf, but I'll take my pigweight RS any day because slow in, fast out, and I value forward acceleration moreso than lateral.

So we've gone completely off-topic. Back to greyyork's quandary:
I vote keep it, fix the trans or go manual. Agreed on the limitless maintenance needed, but she makes up for it every time I get to stretch her legs on what little open road I can find around here. If you really want to appreciate your beast again, rent something vanilla while the trans is being fixed in the beast, and you'll have a blast as soon as your 500-mile trans break-in period is up. Pretty sure you can still get a Suzuki Aerio from Hertz, and I can't think of anything more bland than that...

O_E

[Darkside]

Well ive had my RS6 plus for less than 6mths and looking around today there are currently 3 others for sale in UK, all with more miles and less service history and all £2000 more than when i bought mine.

I'm thinking this may be a car to keep long term if the prices do keep climbing.

Its my second car but in reality i actually drive it more than the other one.

[lswing]

Well ive had my RS6 plus for less than 6mths and looking around today there are currently 3 others for sale in UK, all with more miles and less service history and all £2000 more than when i bought mine.

I'm thinking this may be a car to keep long term if the prices do keep climbing.

Its my second car but in reality i actually drive it more than the other one.

FON:) Welcome to our forum!

Great car for sure, I'm jealous of your 6+. Prices seem steady over here, and low mile clean models are going for a good amount. I think you'll see the nice ones on your side start to climb as some Canadian and US folks are scheming to start importing them in the next year or two.

[BuffaloRS6]

http://www.oncedriven.com/used-car/Audi-RS6/5812648032.aspx

I can tell you I'm in the same boat. Keep or sell. My RS6 has been listed on 3 different websites since February and to my surprise, I've only had a handful of people somewhat interested in it. It's in tip top shape with many tasteful upgrades. The lack of interest is almost shocking, but it's also strengthening my interest in keeping it. It's paid for so it doesn't owe me anything. It gets constant looks, thumbs up and compliments from people. Many of them assume it's a new car, so that tells you how timeless the styling is. They have to pick their jaws up off the floor when I tell them it's 12 years old. It's still for sale right now, but I absolutely don't want to give it away, nor do I have to. Pricing can be a tricky thing with these cars. Personally I think my car is worth all of $23,000, (Great condition, "low" miles, tasteful mods, coilovers replace the DRC, new transmission & TC) but I don't know what the market for them is currently at. I've seen them priced from the mid teens all the way up to almost $30k. It's all over the place. If you own it outright, have a trustworthy mechanic and have a second car for daily use, I'd say keep it. Only reason I'm still selling is because I'm on the hunt for a B5 S4 6 spd S4 Nogaro Avant. Good luck.

[lswing]

Personally I think my car is worth all of $33,000...

Fixed that for you:) Personally I think this is one of the best styled cars Audi has made. Give it time, as the new designs look overly outlandish, and the numbers of the C5's dwindle, they will become even more desired.

[BuffaloRS6]

Haha Yes please!!! I agree 100% Since this car came out, I don't really know of another Audi I love more than the RS6. The B5 S4 is another design with amazing lines, especially the Avant. Probably my 2nd favorite. The new ones have some of that 'in your face' design BUT still look good compared to a lot of other vehicles on the road. Audi knocked the RS6 out of the park IMO- If only they had the balls to bring the avant to the states!!

[Cmnair]

Best representation of the C5 platform which was already great in regular models. BuffaloRS6, I say keep that beast rather than give it away...I know you have had it listed for a while.

[lswing]

Slim chance I'll be looking to acquire my second RS6 when/if I move to NY later this year...keep you posted...

[BuffaloRS6]

Slim chance I'll be looking to acquire my second RS6 when/if I move to NY later this year...keep you posted...

Ok cool. Yeah just shoot me an email or PM if/when interested. If I end up selling it, I'm sure I'll post something on here.